


Fate finds a way

by In_Flagrante_Delicto



Category: Zeroes Series - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: AU where Ethan was never friends with the Zeroes, Ethan has anxiety, Gen, I’m sorry for Nate, Nate’s just Like That, Stripper Ethan, Strippers & Strip Clubs, book canon who’s she?, i don’t know how strip clubs work, they’re adults now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-11-01 05:24:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17861126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_Flagrante_Delicto/pseuds/In_Flagrante_Delicto
Summary: Alt title: Nate finds a way.Flicker’s getting married tomorrow. Nate doesn’t know how to leave his work at home. Ethan’s in control (he isn’t).





	1. Some weirdos harass Ethan at work

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes, there’s Good Shit on the discord and I have to entertain myself for a couple of hours.
> 
> Uhh... Warning for vomiting and Ethan maybe having a panic attack.
> 
> (I’m not projecting my fear of not being in control of myself shit up)

“Put that thing away,” Flicker chastised Nate. “You’re not going to find any Zeroes here.”

Nate made a noise of assent, fiddling with the dials on his patent Zero Tracker 2000 TM, all rights reserved. (Technically, it was Chizara’s, but Nate didn’t have to admit that to himself.)

“Jesus Christ, Nate. We’re in a _strip club!_ I’m getting _married_ tomorrow!” She was right on both accounts and she accented her point by flapping her hand towards him.

Nate glanced up at her, taking in her eyes (closed behind her glasses) and her disgruntled expression. Looking at herself with Nate’s eyes, Flicker scored a couple of good hits on his shoulder.

Ethan watched the two of them from across the room— a blind girl and an off-brand drug lord stuck out in a place like this. _Not that blind people should be excluded!_ he thought hastily, _but you had to admit that the experience is mostly visual._

“We should have brought Crash and Mob,” Nate was complaining. “More eyes for you to see through.”

“They’re _lesbians_ , Nate. This is a male strip club.”

Nate rubbed at the headache building behind his eyes. He knew it was psychosomatic, but that didn’t stop it. “You don’t seem to have a problem asking _me_ to look at men’s asses.”

Flicker scoffed. “You’re into it.”

Nate looked back down at the Tracker, adjusting the settings pointedly.

“I’ve caught you staring at my fiancé enough times to know you’re not straight, dumbass.”

As she said this, Flicker’s hand went automatically to the Braille bracelet on her wrist.

T H I B A U L T

Ethan watched the drug-lord-guy flush at his companion’s words. He ducked his head to look at the radio in in lap and as his ringed fingers clinked against it, a traitorous voice in the back of Ethan’s head whispered ‘ _cute_ ’.

The idea of any voices in Ethan’s head was still an alarming one, even though he knew that The Voice couldn’t talk directly to him.

He’d made it through High School with average written results and exemplary marks in spoken examinations, but before the Final Exams, Ethan found himself distraught. After a panic attack in exam prep and and anxiety diagnosis, Ethan (with the support of his sister, if not his mother) dropped out to pursue physical jobs.

He considered the Army, but as much as his father threatened that it would ‘straighten him out’, he knew The Voice would thrive in a place like that.

Dancing (and stripping) was a good option, because The Voice couldn’t take control of his body. Only what he said was suspect.

“Mesopotamia.” He whispered to himself, a quiet victory with the voice he’d fought for.

Calmed slightly, Ethan began to make his way over to the couple. They were probably together, judging by the way the dude was leaning into the girl’s space, but it never hurt to check.

“Come _on_ , Nate.” Flicker groaned. It hadn’t taken much to get him here and he wouldn’t even _look?_

Nate sighed, glancing around the room for Flicker’s benefit. It was large, the walls painted black, the lights glowing neon. The stage on one side had a strippers pole— currently empty— and he could see a couple of almost naked men on some of the tables throughout the room.

Flicker smiled as Nate unsubtly checked them out and caught sight of someone approaching them.

“Coming towards us,” She whispered to Nate.

Everyone had practice being Flicker’s eyes, so Nate sweeper his eyes slowly left to right until Flicker squeezed his arm.

Through Nate’s eyes, Flicker saw a guy approaching them. A couple of inches shorter than six foot, he had a subtle sense of self-confidence that seemed somehow earned.

Flicker hummed in appreciation as Nate looked him up and down. He was wearing a collared button up that was a size too big— with the top four buttons unbuttoned— and tight black pants. A lean kind of muscle was evident on his legs and exposed collar bone, which Flicker _liked_.

Nate’s gaze lingered a bit too long on the bulge in his pants. The guy looked like he would be calm and controlling, holding you down strong enough to be secure but without hurting. He looked like he knew how to ask for what he wanted and how to provide clear instructions on how to do it.

So, exactly Nate’s type.

But to really pull it all together, as he reached them, the Tracker in Nate’s lap buzzed.

“Hi!” Ethan said, reaching them. The guy was staring, mouth slightly open (probably knew his girlfriend couldn’t tell). “Are you guys interested in a show?”

The girl nodded fervently. Ethan laughed.

“Ok!”

Ethan climbed gracefully onto the table and started swaying to the beat. Ethan had half-expected the guy to describe him to the girl, but as he slowly undid the buttons on his skirt, he overheard them whispering.

“Look at his ass!”

“I’m looking!”

“You keeping glancing at-”

“He’s-”

“Talk to him later, Glorious Leader. For now: ass.”

Ethan finished the dance and pulled his shirt loosely over his shoulders so they could still see his chest. He smiled at them and climbed down.

Collecting the money, Ethan slipped into the seat next to the guy, who’d been tipping liberally with twenty-dollar notes.

A server, who must have been hovering, brought over his preferred drink: a Fire Engine that was a fourth Vodka. The server was wearing booty shorts and a tee with the club’s logo that ended just above the bellybutton. He smiled at him and Ethan nodded his thanks with a smile in reply.

Then he turned his attention back to the couple.

“Are you two here together?” He asked, slipping his arms back into his sleeves.

He didn’t normally talk to customers, but they were female more often than not. Polite, most of the time, but not really his type.

“It’s my bachelorette party!” The girl explained. She didn’t make much of an effort to face him, and Ethan could see that her eyes were closed behind her sunglasses.

“Oooo...” said Ethan politely, buttoning up his shirt. They probably weren’t dating then.

“I’m Flicker,” she continued, “And this is Nate.”

Ethan raised his eyebrows at her name, but replied easily, “Ethan. Pleasure to meet you both.”

Nate squinted at him. “Were you born in the year Two-Thousand?”

Ethan blinked. “Yes. Why?”

Nate was internally delighted. Another Zero? After all these years?

“You can do some weird things, can’t you? Things that no one else can explain.”

While Nate was lost in the possibilities— he hadn’t manipulated their attention, but he could be a crash... or he could be like Coin, making his _body_ valuable— Ethan was panicking.

He was talking about The Voice.

“How...” Ethan sipped his drink, glancing around. Five things he could see... “How do you know that?”

The stage,  
A couple of his co-workers,  
The new barkeep, mixing drinks,  
Some of the regulars,  
Flicker’s cane, folded on her lap...

Nate was talking again: “... It’s something to do with y2k, we think. That computer glitch everyone was worried about? We think it’s something like that, but with people.”

Ethan nodded absently. Four things he could hear...

The music,  
His heart beating in his ears,  
Nate and Flicker whispering,  
Laughter from one of the other tables...

“There’s five of us,” Flicker explained “But we know there’s more out there.”

“Five of you _what?_ ” 

“We call ourselves the Zeroes. Nate here is our Glorious Leader.”

“Oh.”

“You might have noticed that I’m blind, but my powers compensate, letting me see through other people’s eyes.”

 _Jesus, that’s so creepy,_ Ethan thought. Three things he could feel...

The rub of his shirt against his skin,  
The cold rushing down his throat as he gulped his drink,  
His nails digging into his leg through his pants...

“What,” he said. It came out vaguely strangled, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “What.”

Nate laughed. Asshole.

“I can influence people’s attention. Draw it towards me, push it away from me, that kind of thing.”

All powers are just _incredibly creepy_ , then. Okay. Ethan took a deep breath. Two things he could taste...

His drink,  
The salty sweat on his upper lip...

“What can _you_ do?” Nate pressured, peering at him like he wanted to be taking notes.

“Well, I don’t... I don’t really... like... using...” Ethan tried, in breath coming hard and fast. But it was too late. The question had been asked.

And Ethan hadn’t know the answer, so The Voice crawled up his throat, filling his mouth and impanting an artificial pride.

It came out bigger than he had ever heard it it.

“It’s more than you can hope to understand, Nate Saldana. More than anyone can comprehend. You think you have control, but I have knowledge. Everything you wish you could know. Past, Present, Future.” 

Ethan gasped in a breath before The Voice took control again.

“I know _all of it_.”

Nate stared at him, shocked. Flicker’s unseeing eyes were open, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Omniscience...” She breathed.

Ethan choked on nothing. He gagged and pushed a hand firmly over his mouth.

After a long moment, Ethan stood up stiffly and made his way over to the ‘Employees Only’ door, strangely calm.

The world buzzed in his ears as he put the hand full of cash in his locker, blindly grabbing out his phone and jumper.

It wasn’t quite the end of his shift, but the guy who does the paperwork back here waved him past after seeing the look on his face.

Out the back door, standing in the alley behind the club, Ethan breathed as steadily as he could. Despite his best effort, it came and went in unwilling increments, his whole body jerking slightly as he unlocked his phone.

He opened his messages, and in spite of the fact that Jess was rarely at base or able to respond to his texts, Ethan clicked on her name.

**Ethan:** :(  
  


The bloop as the text successfully sent cleared the unnatural calm that had coated him, and Ethan’s stomach contracted.

He heaved onto the ground until his throat strung with bile.

Shaky, Ethan pulled the jumper over his head, dropping onto the step. He compulsively checked his messages. Nothing. He tucked his head down near his knees, his wrists covering his ears. One thing he could smell...

Vomit. Gross.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess for Ethan, it’s what I hc he would be like if he wasn’t constantly told he was superpowered as a teenager?
> 
> idk man


	2. Elevator Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They met in an broken-down elevator, like something out of a sitcom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! 
> 
> TW for: characters getting stuck in an elevator and for Thibault’s depressing childhood.

The other guy looked around Ethan’s age, naturally pale with dark hair that almost hung in his eyes. When he spoke, his words were lilting and accented. Attractive, certainly. 

“Well, shit.” He said, as the elevator jolted to a stop. The lights flicked and clicked off, leaving them in darkness. 

Ethan groaned. The other guy chuckled. 

“I’m Thibault,” he said, “we’re going to be great friends, if sitcoms have taught me anything.” 

Despite himself, Ethan laughed. “Lots of time to get to know each other I guess.” 

There was a moment of silence before Ethan belatedly added, “I’m Ethan, by the way.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Thibault said, sitting down on the floor. Ethan’s attention was flickering around the dark elevator, but Thibault didn’t seem to be in any danger of being forgotten. He briefly imagined being stuck in here with enough people to form the Curve, but rubbed his eyes to dismiss the idea. 

He was an adult now, both more and less forgettable in turn. People tended to notice if an adult was snooping around more than they would for a kid, but people also kept less of an eye on adults, confident they could take care of themselves. 

“Nice weather.” He commented. It was a common enough joke among the other ‘Zeroes’ that his conversations were as forgettable as him. 

Ethan snorted and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could the emergency lights blinked on. The elevator was illuminated in a harsh red and they both squinted against the sudden light. 

Ethan was stuck by a thought. “Should we... use the emergency call button?” Thibault blinked a couple of times, then reached up and pressed the button. 

The intercom crackled. 

_”You okay in there?”_ It asked. 

“Yeah. Yeah I think so.” Thibault said, slightly louder than a normal volume so he could be heard without having to stand up. “What happened?” 

_”Power outage.”_ The voice sounded almost wry. _”Because of the storm.”_

Ethan nodded absently, knowing the guy on the other side of the speaker probably couldn’t see them. Or maybe he could. Ethan glanced up at the camera in the corner. 

Thibault gave the man his name, following Ethan’s attention to the small camera in the corner. A new, terrifying thought tickled in the back of his mind. Getting forgotten in here. Just like he was forgotten— Nope. Not going down that particular rabbit hole, no thank you. 

Ethan’s attention flickered around for a second when he heard Thibault’s voice. 

“Uh, Ethan Cooper.” He told the man after a pause. 

_”Cool. Thanks.”_ The intercom went silent for a couple of seconds. _”Okay, it looks like it might be a while before we can get you out. Stick tight!”_

The intercom clicked off, leaving Thibault and Ethan in silence. 

“So...” Ethan said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. 

“What are you studying?” Thibault asked. One part genuinely curious, one part not wanting to sit silently while they waited. Hey, it wasn’t like being easily forgotten did much for his social skills. 

Ethan blushed, faintly visible in the red light. “I’m not actually here studying anything. A friend forgot his lunch.” 

He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a visitor’s pass, holding it in Thibault’s direction self-consciously. 

“What about you?” 

“English major.” Thibault shrugged from his seat on the ground. “I’m thinking of switching majors, though. To psychology.” 

He’d originally wanted to work with kids, to make sure no one was ever forgotten like he was, but his quote-unquote ‘power’ made that impossible. Children were too easily distracted, and he probably wouldn’t be able to visit kids in hospital without having a flashback to his own childhood hospital stay. 

Ethan slumped down onto the ground across from Thibault. 

“Oh yeah?” 

And, although they didn’t know it, that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

**Thibault:** Okay, this is probably wild and out of nowhere.  
  
**Thibault:** But? I’m getting married?  
  
**Thibault:** And I want you to be my best man.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So I guess for Ethan, it’s what I hc he would be like if he wasn’t constantly told he was superpowered as a teenager?
> 
> idk man


End file.
